Lives will not be put at risk by the axing of lifeboats, experts pledged today.

It is feared the decision to cut the boats at Blyth and Sunderland will lead to a shortage of cover along the coast.

But that was denied by the Coastguard and the RNLI.

As revealed in the Chronicle earlier this month, the RNLI's decision to withdraw the two boats sparked claims lives would be put at risk.

This came after claims by MPs at the weekend that the Coastguard itself is operating at unacceptable levels because of staff shortages.

But today the lifeboat organisation and the Coastguard insisted the North East coastline will remain as safe as ever.

A Coastguard spokes- woman said: "We are the organisation responsible for deciding upon the rescue response to distress alerts from vessels at sea and 999 emergency calls.

"We are content any response we request of the RNLI to emergencies either on the coast or at sea in the vicinity of Blyth and Sunderland will continue to be swift, timely and professional which are the continuing hallmarks of the RNLI LB crews." The RNLI insists the decision is not a cost-cutting exercise, although the axing of the two boats will save around #252,000 a year.

A report by MPs says the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is operating at "unacceptable" staff levels, a report by MPs said.

The agency had been "entirely complacent" about understaffing and had "failed to conduct timely research" into the rise in deaths and accidents around Britain's coast, the report from the House of Commons Transport Committee added.

Although the MCA's chief executive Capt Steven Bligh claimed understaffing was not affecting safety, the committee said it was "unconvinced".

Deaths around the coast had increased 28.1% between 1998 and 2002 while accidents had gone up 17.3% over this period.

There had been no proper research into the earlier closure of rescue co-ordination centres at Tyne Tees in the North East, Pentland near Edinburgh, or Oban in western Scotland.